Alyssa Mendoza (born August 17, 2003) is an American boxer. She qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Alyssa Mendoza | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 17, 2003 Boise, Idaho, U.S. |
| Other names | Wrecking Machine |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Featherweight |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Boxing record[1] | |
| Total fights | 51 |
| Wins | 39 |
| Wins by KO | 11 |
| Losses | 12 |
Biography
editMendoza was born on August 17, 2003.[2] She grew up in Caldwell, Idaho, and attended Middleton High School.[3] Her father, JR, runs a gym and is a boxing trainer, and in 2015, at age 12, she first began training in the sport with him.[4][5] Within a month, she fought her first bout and won, and by the age of 16, she had compiled a record of 28–12.[5]
In December 2019, Mendoza competed at the U.S. youth national championship and won the title in her weight class, earning her a spot on the youth national team.[5] She became the first female from Idaho to accomplish the feat.[5] She qualified for the 2020 World Youth Championships in Poland, but did not compete as the games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
Mendoza placed third at the USA Boxing Elite National Championships in 2021 and then won the tournament in 2022.[6] She also competed at a Golden Gloves tournament in 2022 and won the event on her birthday, while being named the competition's best female boxer.[7] In 2023, she won medals at three international events and participated at the Pan American Games.[8][9] She was also named to the Elite High Performance Team by USA Boxing.[7]
Mendoza participated at the first 2024 Olympic Qualification Tournament and was narrowly defeated in the match that would have qualified her for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[7] She then competed at the second Olympic Qualification Tournament and won the finals by unanimous decision, making her the eighth and last person to qualify on the U.S. boxing team.[10] By qualifying, she became the first Olympic boxer in her state's history.[10]
She won in her Olympic debut by split decision (3–2) against Mijgona Samadova of Tajikistan in the round of 16.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Boxing record for Alyssa Mendoza". BoxRec.
- ^ "Alyssa Mendoza". USA Boxing. June 2, 2024.
- ^ Brassil, Delaney (February 6, 2020). "Caldwell youth boxer Alyssa Mendoza on path to fulfilling Olympic dream". The Idaho Press.
- ^ a b "Alyssa Mendoza Targeting The 2024 Paris Olympics". BoxingScene.com. January 31, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Caldwell teen boxing into Idaho history". KIVI-TV. January 21, 2020.
- ^ "Alyssa Mendoza". Team USA.
- ^ a b c Santangelo, Luke (May 23, 2024). "Faith, Family and Going for History: The Story of Alyssa Mendoza". USA Boxing.
- ^ "Local boxer one step closer to Olympics". KIVI-TV. March 14, 2023.
- ^ McCauley, Cooper (June 5, 2024). "This Caldwell native is the first Idahoan to qualify for 2024 Paris Olympics". KIVI-TV.
- ^ a b Armstrong, Zach (June 3, 2024). "Caldwell native Alyssa Mendoza qualifies for 2024 Paris Olympics". The Idaho Press.
- ^ "Boxing - Women's 57kg Round of 32 Results". olympics.com. July 30, 2024.